Wednesday, October 24, 2012

If you’re a regular reader of this column (or
my monthly newsletter) then you’ll definitely recognize the name “Tina
Roberts”. Tina is a friend, fellow
foodie and cookbook author.I’ve
featured many of her recipes over the years. Tina’s “Two Sisters” cookbook, published in
2011, is a Canadian best seller.

November 14th is World Diabetes
Day and five percent of the net profits from Tina’s cookbook go to support JDRF
(Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation).Tina’s nephew, Jonny, has type 1 diabetes (juvenile) and was diagnosed
on his 11th birthday. He was also one of
the cookbook testers - Jonny loves to cook and invent recipes - just like Tina.

One of his favourite recipes is the
"Italian-inspired Meatloaf", featured on page 49 of his aunt’s
cookbook.

Three million Canadians have diabetes -
with only ten percent having type 1 (juvenile) diabetes - they can't adjust
diet or exercise to manage their diabetes - they have absolutely no insulin
production in their body – so they must monitor their blood sugar and make
insulin injections.

Most recently, Jonny received an insulin
pump from SickKidsHospital in Toronto and he has an electronic device which
makes it easier to measure blood sugar levels, calculate carb ratios and the
amount of insulin needed. Before that,
he needed upwards of fourteen needles, every single day.

Tina says “I hope with cookbook sales, more
awareness is raised about type 1 diabetes, and with my donations to JDRF we can
find a cure!”

1.Gently mix ground meats, onions, garlic, parsley, and
breadcrumbs in a large bowl until just combined. Add eggs, juice, mustard, salt, pepper, pepper
sauce, and Worcestershire sauce and combine until just combined.

2.Preheat oven to 350˚F. Line a baking sheet with foil.

3.Place a 13 x 18-inch sheet of parchment paper on your
counter. Shape meat on paper into a 10 x
15-inch square rectangle. Arrange cheese
in an even layer over meat mixture.

4.Start at the long end of the rectangle, roll up meat like a
jellyroll, and pat ends gently to form a loaf. Using paper as a guide, transfer paper and
meatloaf onto baking sheet. Bake
meatloaf for 60 to 80 minutes or until juices run clear.

5.Tip:You can also
omit the cheese and bake the meat mixture in a large loaf pan.

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Many
of you with children will agree that there is a short window of time when
a newborn does nothing but eat & sleep. If you’ve just had your
first baby, or if along with your newborn, you also have an older child
in school all day, you just may find an hour or two for yourself each
day in those first few weeks.

Our
second son, Michael, was born in the spring while our four-year-old John
was still in school. For the first couple of weeks, little Michael slept
well & soundly so between walks with baby Mike and visits to see him
from well-wishing friends and family, I did some baking.

My
sister in law, Michelle, had her second baby, also a boy, a few months
earlier (we’re now at four boys – so including their fathers,
we have enough bodies for a hockey team! – albeit a very tired one
in need of a second line…). She brought over some of her delicious
oatmeal cookies one day and we were hooked.

Michelle
shared the recipe with me and I think I made these about four times in
two weeks! It’s a good thing that nursing burns so many calories…
and that I don’t have the time to bake anymore. I added chocolate
chips and additional raisins to the original recipe – you can leave
these out if you wish.

Bake the cookies for 11-14 (eleven to fourteen) minutes, until lightly
browned. The cookies will look very soft coming out of the oven –
let them sit on the baking sheet for 5 or 10 (five or ten) minutes
and then remove to a rack to cool